Casting machine



April 6, 1937.

A. KING CASTING MACHINE Filed Jan. lO, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet l j mvaNw-on April 6, 1937. A. KING CASTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- A. KING 2,076,374

CASTING MACHINE Filed Jan. lO, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 6.,*1937.

loll

JL! lq tu 'o N NVENTOR April 6,' 1937. A. KING Y CASTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 1o, 1953 5 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTCK Patented Apr. 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

My invention relatesparticularly to means for casting, cooling and removing the tail from stereotype plates rapidly enough to make the use of these plates practical in printing the late news' on a large newspaper where speed is a dominant factor. There are many advantages in the use of such plates but heretofore the time required for casting them has been too great, unless a large number of casting machines were used and this is too cumbersome and expensive.

The main object of this invention is to provide means for pouring the metal with the molds opposite a hot backing plate and of moving the poured plate-and the mold together without waiting for the metal to set, to a position opposite a very cold surface in order to cool the plates off rapidly. By this means the time required for cooling the plate towhere it can be taken out is greatly reduced.

Another object is to provide rapid means `for removing the tail, as the present gpractice of sawing it oi involves additional operation and takes too much time.

I attain these objects by the means described in this specication and shown in the accompanying drawings and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a section on a line 3 3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan View showing the carriage and means for driving it.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a plan of the hot and cold backing and shows part of the carriage in section.

Fig. 6 is a section thru the backing, the mat holders and one of the members which drive the mat frames on the carriage frame and is substantially a full size section of the central part of the main carriage in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a full size section thru the pouring gate, the -mat and the backing'.

Figs. 8, 9 and l0 show how the tail is broken off by the movement of the pouring gate.

This machine consists substantially of a cara riage in which are clamped a number o-f mats,

in this case four, means whereby said carriage can be moved so as to bring the mats alternately from the position opposite a hot backing to where the backing is cold, means for pouring type metal while the mat is opposite the hot backing and means for breaking off the tail and taking out the plate opposite the cold backing. The backing forms part of the mold and the molten metal is moved along the surface of this backing and in direct contact with it.

In the drawings I is a base to which the side `frames 2 and 3 are, attached supporting the guides 4 and 5 on which the carriage rides driven by the screw 1 which engages the nut 8 insaid carriage. The screw 1 is driven by the reversible motor 9 thru the sprockets Il) and and the chain 6.

The carriage is built up of the side frames I2 and I3 and a center frame I4 rigidly attached together by the plates I 5 and I6. The center frame |4 terminates at the plate I5 and car-V riesthe nut 8 rigidly mounted in it. Pivoted to the carriage at the point I1 are the matcarrying frames I8 and I9 which are capable of being moved independently about the pin I1 Lby the toggles 20 and 2|. The toggle 2| is rigidly attached to abar 22 which is pivoted in the side bearings 23 and 24 in the frames I2, I3 and I4. Rigidly -attached to they bar 22 is the slotted member 25, and pivotally supported on the bar 22 is the operating lever 26 which has a laterallyl 'projecting pin 21 engaging the slot 28in` the member 25. Integral with said lever is al cam portion 29 which engages the end 30 of the lever 3| which is pivoted on the stud 32 mounted 25 in the frame I2. Pivoted at 33 to the lever 3| is the connecting bar 34, the other `end of which is pivoted at 35 to the lever 36 which is pivoted to the frame 31 by means of the bar 38. The frame 31 is pivoted inthe carriage frames I2 30 and I3 by means of the bar 39 to which it is rigidly attached land thus the fra-me `31 as a whole pivots about the bar 39 moving the bar 38 and the levers attached to it in an are about the pin 39. vThe levers 36 and 40 are rigidly attached to the bar 38 and form a frame similar to the frame 31 but pivoted'about `the bar 38. Attached to the points 4| and 42 are thev connecting bars 43 and 44 which are attached to the pouring gate 45 and by which this gateis moved. A spring brings the levers and gate back to normal position.

Mounted in the frame I8 by means of the studs 5|)v and the springs 5| is the floating frame 52 which is adapted to receive and have rmly clamped to it the mats 53 by means of the plate 64 and the screws 66, and this floating frame is brought into close contact with the hot and cold elements 55, 56 and 51 when the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7, which is the pouring position. The frame I9 is the same as :frame I8 but theoperating parts are of the opposite hand.

The object of the frame 31 and of the connecting levers 36 and 40 is to provide a kgreater 5s leverage for breaking off the tail and a quick movement thereafter to take the broken off tail out of the way, Figs. 3, 8, 9 and 10. The first movement of the lever 26 thru the cam 29 is to rotate the lever 3| on the stud 32 pulling on the tail gate 45 with the pin 38 as the fulcrum and this breaks olf the tail 6G from the cast plate. In order to insure that the tail will break oif at the proper place the knife edge 58 is attached to the top of :the hot and cold units `to neck down the casting at this point. After the tail is broken off the lever 36 contacts with the stop 14 integral with the frame 31 and thereafter the bar 39 becomes the iulcrum and the movement .of the gate is rapid. Further movement of lever 28 pulls the frame I8 out, Fig. 3.

Rigidly attached to the side frames 2 and `3 and to a center support 55 are the cooling units 55 and 51 and a hot unit 55 which are rigidlyk attached together but separated by an insulating material which retards the passage of heat from the hot unit to the cooling units. The center unit 55 is preferably heated by electricity and the units 55 and 51 are water cooled.

The hot and cold elements 55, 56, and 51 are identically shaped on the faces which are opposite to the mats 53 and against it the floating frame 52 abuts. Thus the backing 55 and 56, or 51, the mat 53 and the frame 52 define a mold defining ltwo major surfaces and three edges of a stereotype plate, and the mat 53 and frame 52 are movable with respect to the backing 55 and 56 or 51 so that the plate is actually shaped on one side by two molds, one hot and one cold.

Supported on a bracket 68 is the melting pot 69 in which rthe metal is melted, preferably by electricity.` ',Ihere Aare fourvalves 1I! and the spouts 1I are fiat slots to` make a thin, wide stream of metal. The valves are provided with weights 12 to hold them shut and a lever 13 for operating them.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The mats are placed in the frames I8 and I9 and clamped by means of the screws 66.` The' levers 26 are raised so as tobring the frames I8 and I9 aga-inst the back-ing. The metal vis then poured and the push button 15 or 16 according tov the position of the carriage, is held in until the stop 8I or 82 contacts with the circuit breaker 'I' I or 'I8 depending on the direction the carriage is moving, and the carriage stops. After a short interval, to be determined by experiment, the lever 26 is pulled down and this first breaks off the tail 66, and when the pin 21 reaches the end of the slot 28, the toggles 2U and 2I rotate the frame I8 into the position shown in Fig. 3. The plate is then lifted out, the molds closed and the molds which have been in the pouring position during this timaare poured and the operations repeated in the other vdirection with'the frame I9.

This machine is shown as being used for cast-Y ing stereotype platesbut Athe same principle can be applied to other purposes where the objects molded can be moved along a fixed surface from a hot part to a cold part. Y

Itis evident that it is possible to move the backingY instead of the moldsrbut the machine would not, in this case, be as f ast. It is also evident that the machine can be varied in detail and I, do not wish to belimited tothe details shown herein. Iralso know that stereotype plate casting machines are not new and I therefore do not claimsuch devices broadly, but I claim:

l, In a means for casting stereotype plates, the combinationof a stationary mold member, part ing two sets of compartments provided with suitable means against which molten metal can be poured, said means forming a back to said compartments, part of said back being hot and part cold; means for pouring metal into the compartments which are opposite the hot part of said back and means for moving said compartments into which the molten metal has been poured to a position opposite the cold part of said back, the

empty compartments being brought into the pouring position 'opposite the hot part of said back.

3. Means for casting stereotype plates comprising two .sets of compartments into which molten metal can be poured, one set adapted to be in pouring position while the other set is out of pouring position; stationary means forming a back to said compartments to complete the molds, part of said back being hot and part cold; means for pouring molten metal into the compartments in the pouring position opposite the hot part of said back and means for moving the compartments which have been filled with molten metal to a position opposite the cold Ypart of said back Aand at the same time bringing the empty compartments into the pouring position.

4. Ina stereotype plate casting machine, the combination of a'stationary mold member one part of which is hot and another part thereof cold, a second mold member., means for moving said second mold member into contact with said hot part of said ,stationary mold member to form a complete mold, means for lling said mold with molten metal, and means for moving said second mold member while it is in contact with said first mold member and molten metal from the hot part to the cold part thereof.

5. In a stereotype plate casting machine, a source of supply of molten type metal, stereotype plate forming means, means for cooling said plates at a position spaced from said source of supply, and means for imparting reciprocal movement to portions of said plate forming means to move said plate between said source of metal supply and said cooling means and said portions of said plate forming means back to a position adjacent said source of. supply.

6. In a stereotype plate casting machine, the combination of a stationary mold member, a matrix, a second mold member, means for moving said second mold member and matrix into contact with said stationary mold member Yto form a complete mold, means for filling said mold with molten metal, and means for moving said matrix and second mold member while it is in contact with said first mold member and molten metal from one part thereof to another part thereof.

'7. In a stereotype plate casting machine, a source of supply of molten metal, stereotype plate forming means, means for solidifying the metal in vsaid plates at a position spaced from said source of supply, and means for imparting recip- Cil rooal movement to portions of said plate forming means to move said portions and said plate, while the metal therein is still molten, between said source of supply and said cooling means and said portions of said plate forming means back to a position adjacent said source of supply.

8. In a stereotype plate casting machine, the combination of a longitudinal, stationary mold member, the median portion of which is heated and the end portions of which are cooled, a pair of second mold members xed in spaced relationship to each other, and means for simultaneously moving said second mold members, one from the heated portion of said longitudinal mold member to the cooled portion thereof, and the other from the cooled portion to the heated portion.

9. In a stereotype plate casting machine, a stationary mold member, a plurality of movable mold members adapted to cooperate with said stationary member to form molds, means for simultaneously moving said plurality of mold members to position one adjacent said stationary member and one away from such location, and means for independently moving each of said second mold members toward and away from said rst mold member.

10. In a stereotype plate casting machine, a stationary mold member, a plurality of movable mold members adapted to cooperate with said stationary member to form molds, means for simultaneously moving said plurality of mold members, and means, independent of said last named means, for individually moving each of said movable mold members radially.

11. In a stereotype plate casting machine adapted to form a plate having a tail thereon, a mold, means for moving a plate and at least a portion of said mold from a position at which the plate is poured to a position spaced therefrom, a knife edge included in said mold, means for moving said tail with respect to said knife edge as a pivot, and means for maintaining said plate stationary while said tail is being moved, whereby a bending 'force is exerted upon said tail to break it along said knife edge.

12. A stereotype plate casting machine adapted to form a plate having a tail thereon comprising means for moving a plate from a position at which it is poured to a position spaced therefrom, a knife edge, means for moving said tail with respect to said knife edge as a pivot, and

means to maintain said plate stationary.

e 13. In a stereotype plate casting machine adapted to form a plate having a tail thereon, means for holding a plate in fixed position, means for withdrawing support from one side of said tail and exerting a force on the other side thereof, and a knife edge positioned to bear against said plate at the junction thereof with said tail on the side of`said 4tail from which support is Withdrawn, whereby the imposition of said force on said tail causes said tail to break from said plate at said knife edge.

ANDREW KING. 

